Far Cry 5 suffers from quest overload, but will give players plenty to do even after story completion.

MLB: The Show 18 is a refined experience that stands tall as the best baseball game currently on the market. Of all the iterations of the title, this is, to my eye, the definitive best and, I imagine, exactly what fans of the genre are looking for.

Sea of Thieves plots a course in the opposite direction of most big budget, predictable affairs. Loot is not about gaining power, and the thrill is in the voyage, not the destination. This may alienate some gamers, but it is a breath of fresh air for those willing to embrace the change. However, Rare will soon find the community clamoring for more content and improved social options to keep players invested and using their freedom to create limitless and fascinating stories.

Kirby: Star Allies is an all-together pleasant game. Which is especially needed, both in the Nintendo Switch library and in the current climate of 2018. We need something simple and enjoyable that brings a smile to our faces. We need a game we can play with anyone we know, without worrying about possible barriers. It is a delight, and Switch owners will definitely appreciate adventuring with their buddy again.

Metal Gear Survive is just another middling survival game, with a name-drop that doesn’t do it any favors.

There are over 80 playable characters, but tedious missions, repetitive storylines, a world with large expanses of nothing and no multiplayer.

This is the Monster Hunter game for the world. There is no better entry point for beginners and no better magnum opus for the series.

All of the characters in Iconoclasts have a lot of personality, there are multiple difficulty levels, and I always felt like I had a reason to return to previously explored areas to use new skills to reach different places.

UFC 3 feels the most like a video game in the pool of big sports simulations. Being a one-on-one combat sim, it still feels like you’re at the mercy of your own ability even though there are stats. A punch is a punch, and while some chins are more durable than others, patience and care can help you overcome the odds. It feels like a different kind of fighting game for folks interested in real-life martial arts, with a cumbersome grappling system and some branded bumbling with numbers and menus to appeal to the core audience. UFC 3 is fun and exciting, and I can see it acting as a potential entry point for its real-life counterpart.

Dragon Ball FighterZ feels like it hits a sweet spot, retaining the look and feel of a versus fighter while reining in the complexities that make fighting games still so hard to get into.

If you are willing to be patient and put the time in, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 offers a huge world with lots of blades, places to explore, and people to help.

This is a beautiful, fun game with huge ambitions for being an important part of the Star Wars universe as it is today. It introduces a fascinating new character and injects her right into the main storyline. But it does so in such a disappointingly banal way, it’s hard to care after the story is over. Meanwhile, the fun continues for a bit in the multiplayer until you’re crushed under the boots of either “enormous grind” or “emptying wallet.”

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2's roster of over two hundred characters are sure to delight.

A middling hodgepodge of conflicting concepts that frustrate in the knowledge of what could have been.

Call of Duty: WWII is a solid entry, but it feels more safe and standard than it should, especially standing next to its peers that took similar ideas and did more.

Super Mario Odyssey feels like a new glove that fits like an old glove, the new high point of a decades-long evolutionary process that is so smooth, so finely-tuned, that playing it nearly feels like an extension of yourself. It creeps up on you, the scale and design of it all, in a way that often doesn’t dawn on you just how purely grand it is until you stop playing and reflect on your experience. In a year full to bursting of huge, great games, Super Mario Odyssey stands out by acknowledging what’s cool and works about games today. It trims all the fat and doubles-down on not a gameplay loop, but a gameplay flow that feels effortless the whole way through. Even when you lose, when a challenging bit sends you sailing into the Nintendo-y abyss, you just keep going. Super Mario Odyssey is here to remind us how uniquely compelling jumping and flipping around a colorful video game space is and lets us indulge as long as we can stand it.

Whether you’re a devout member of the Creed, someone who’s fallen off the hay wagon, or even a prospective new member of the Brotherhood, this is the time to dig your blade deep into a succulent new Assassin’s Creed.

It’s a game about killing Nazis, and reveling in that violence. It’s part righteous fury, part joy in the face of madness, and part dope-ass first-person shooter. To put it simply, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a lot.

While it handles and looks well, with an Arcade mode and online elements that are rather solid, the Campaign isn’t fulfilling and too much gets locked away the second online connectivity has been taken away. There are too few cars and tracks here, something that will hopefully be remedied with both free and paid updates. If it gets the proper support, it could end up being a respectable entry in the series. At the moment, Gran Turismo Sport feels like a precursor to greater things.

While the promos, commentary, and female wrestler treatment could use more fine-tuning, the rest of the game does a wonderful job of delivering an experience that’s just a bit more impressive than last year’s entry. For now, all we can keep hoping for in each new game is increased accuracy, larger rosters, better treatment of female wrestlers, and fresher color commentary.

The dramatic backstage elements were too lethargic, but the Road to Glory mode offers a great reason to keep improving my custom MyPlayer’s craft. There’s still some fine tuning needed in the animations and general visuals, but the overall feel of a faithful WWE experience is absolute and worth the ticket price for any dedicated fan.

The Fractured but Whole feels like it’s for the superfan, the person who has been with the series since 1997 and has a shelf full of merchandise. It is for the kind of person who finds glee in self-referential content and doesn’t mind clicking through a bunch of banal video game tropes to find the next “I recognize this thing and clapped!” moment. South Park: The Fractured but Whole feels dated, shallow, and lacking in the purpose or self-awareness needed for a work of satire to hit its mark. It feels like it’s trying too hard to recapture that edge.

Be prepared for some slightly clunky movement and somewhat repetitive walking simulator sections. Past that, it’s a wonderful sequel to a game that was originally sort of a miss, rather than a hit. You’ll become just as invested as Sebastian is when trying to find his daughter and walk away from the experience feeling like you got your money’s worth. The Evil Within 2 is well worth the purchase, but especially (for) those who enjoyed the first game and want something more.

A definite improvement over Shadow of Mordor. People who played the first game and wanted to see serious growth will be pleased. There are times when it can feel a bit repetitive. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I could have spread the experience out over weeks, picking away at segments and really building up to those major sieges. But the Nemesis system does feel stronger this time around, with orcs that can be rather delightful as you continually fight them or prepare them to serve your own purposes in your army.

With a long and flexible solo campaign, quick multiplayer setups (including couch co-op), fun challenges, and lots ways to tweak your ride, wardrobe, and income, Turn 10 Studios continues to perfect their skill with another entry in one of the best racing series in the industry.

When all is said and done, FIFA 18 is a game I can get behind. A lot of the small annoyances have been fixed from last year, especially regarding player movements, and there’s nothing like diving full force into The Journey with Alex Hunter. There’s also the gorgeous graphics; it’s truly a work of art when you stop and take it all in. The lack of FUT improvements knock it down a peg, but all in all the title is worth sinking your cash and time into. If anything, you’ll love the way Rolando’s perfect sculpted hair deflects the wind in one of the most beautiful stadiums ever constructed as those rowdy Real Madrid fans engage in a bit of tomfoolery. Just remember to take it all it and enjoy the ride.

NBA 2K18 is a solid title that will carry you long into the winter with its upgraded features, massive amount of content, wide range of game modes, and overall better presentation. Its minor setbacks pale in comparison to the positives infused within this title.

Despite the Marvel vs. Capcom brand power, the Capcom portion is absolutely the most important, but this time feels like it’s fetching Marvel’s coffee. But this isn’t a kitschy mobile game, it’s a Capcom fighter, and that Means Something – and I can’t shake the feeling that the Marvel Machine doesn’t care.